


Pestilence

by WayWardWonderer



Category: Ghostbusters (Movies 1984-1989), The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Freeform, Gen, Plague, ghost - Freeform, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 13:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11533182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayWardWonderer/pseuds/WayWardWonderer
Summary: The first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse has begun spreading disease across New York City.  It's up to the Ghostbusters to find a way to stop the sickness before it overwhelms the city and stop Pestilence before it's too late!





	Pestilence

Janine Melnitz, loyal receptionist and good friend of the Ghostbusters scrawled down the details of the latest call on the notepad and set it on top of the growing stack of reported calls that had swarmed the firehouse for three days straight. Each call was similar to one another with only slight differences in the details. The entire city was in a panic as more and more New Yorkers were falling mysteriously ill at an alarming rate.

"Got another one!" Janine called out to the four Ghostbusters who were scattered throughout the firehouse. "This time we have a doctor who's reporting in!"

"Oh, great..." Dr. Peter Venkman mumbled as he slowly wandered down the staircase over to Janine's desk on the first floor. "Yet another victim of the plague. What else could go wrong"

As if on cue the lights in the firehouse flickered and smoke began wafting up from the basement.

"How about that?" Janine quipped sarcastically.

Peter gave Janine a dirty look but an approving grin. "Ten bucks says Ray blew a fuse again."

"Twenty says it was Egon."

"You're on!" Peter agreed to their friendly wager before making his way toward the opened stairwell of the basement. The acrid smell of ozone mixed with smoke was the telltale sign of an electrical burnout. "Okay, who did what and why?" He asked dryly as he joined his colleagues who had gathered around the containment unit. "And I have money riding on this thing, so be honest."

Dr. Ray Stantz was wiping grease and smoke off his hands as he gave Peter an odd glance. "I overloaded the circuit board."

"Yes!" Peter clapped Ray on his shoulder playfully. "Ray, you just got me ten bucks!"

"Uh, glad I could help..." Ray tossed aside the rag that was now covered in grease. "Did I hear Janine say something earlier?"

"Yeah, we got another case of that weird sickness thing from the hospital."

Dr. Egon Spengler, who had been checking the readings on the containment unit, spoke up on the subject at hand. "That makes thirty-two confirmed infections."

"And that's thirty-two too many." Ray tagged on.

"Did Winston find anything when he checked in with his friend at the hospital?" Peter inquired sincerely.

"No." Egon shook his head. "According to Winston's former colleague the infected individuals share very little common ground; the victims all range in age and race, and seems to be evenly distributed over both genders."

"All of the symptoms are the same?"

Egon nodded his head. "High fever followed by labored breathing, pounding heart, muscle aches, nausea, lethargy and eventually coma."

Ray sighed and leaned against the workbench against the wall. "And at least twenty of the victims are comatose already."

"Twenty-six." Winston Zeddemore confirmed as he joined his fellow Ghostbusters in the basement. "But fortunately no fatalities." He could smell the lingering smoke. "Ray, did you fry another circuit board?"

"Ha!" Peter pointed at Ray amused. "He did. And thank you for reminding me to collect my winnings from Janine. Excuse me."

"Winnings?" Winston question as Peter passed him and jogged up the stairs.

Ray looked away as his face blushed with embarrassment. "Don't ask." Changing the subject Ray asked about the trip to the hospital. "So David couldn't tell you anything new?"

"No, and David was working as a paramedic for eight years before I joined him. If his almost twenty years on the job can't tell us anything new, I don't think anyone else in the hospital can."

Egon interjected scientifically. "We can confirm that this a singular infection, not multiple infections sharing common symptoms, we can also confirm that the infection is localized solely in the city." Turning away from the display on the unit he continued his analysis. "Whatever is causing this illness originated in the city and is still in the area. We must locate the source."

"I agree, but," Ray sounded nervous. "how do we know that it's paranormal in nature? Could just be a nasty bug going around."

"Highly unlikely." Egon pulled up the data readings recorded on the PKE meter. "The illness arrived within minutes of a massive psyenergy pulse that had swept over the city two nights ago. The pulse's energy level buried the needle which had previously only been associated with Class-7 entities."

Winston arched his eyebrow inquisitively. "Are you saying that whatever this sickness is a ghost is spreading it and infecting completely innocent people by random chance?"

"Precisely."

Ray cleared his throat as her nervousness now seemed justified. "A disease spreading deity of supernatural origin. Sounds an awful like the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

"You're kidding, right?" Winston was now feeling nervous, but the discipline marine masked his doubt expertly. "You're referring to the Last Judgement?"

Ray gave Winston a despondent look. "Opening four of the seven seals from a scroll in God's right hand is said to unleash the Four Horsemen: Pestilence, War, Famine and Death."

Winston was as well versed in Biblical theology as Ray. "A horse of white, red, black and paleness is said to carry the four riders as they ravage the Earth."

"Christianity interprets the arrival of the horsemen as the end of the world."

"Yeah," Winston chimed in. "and some historians claim that the tales portraying the arrival of horsemen have been attributed to the rise and fall of power throughout the major cities across the globe. Maybe the sightings are more than just panic and fairy tales."

Egon contemplated the discussion thoughtfully before offering an opinion on the matter. "It'd be best to locate any hot spots of psychokinetic activity in the city and monitor for any surges in energy levels."

Ray agreed. "That's a good idea. I'll grab the extra PKE meters and meet you guys upstairs."

Without another word Egon and Winston proceeded to climb the staircase and gather around Janine's desk where Peter was sitting with a cheesy grin on his face and a crisp ten dollar bill in his hand.

"What's up?" Peter asked casually as he waved the bill around just to annoy Janine.

"We're going to scope out the city to try and pinpoint the source of the illness." Winston explained. "Egon thinks a ghost is responsible and we need to capture it."

"Sounds fun." Peter pocketed his money and strolled over to where Ecto-1 sat parked in the center of the garage. "Let's get going, I'll drive!"

Ray jogged over to the desk with three additional PKE meters in his hands. "Ready to go?"

"Ready." Winston confirmed.

Egon gave Janine one final request before departing. "If any other calls come in ask about the location that the infected person had fallen ill. It could be the lead we need."

"No problem, Egon." Janine replied confidently. "I'll contact you over the radio."

"Thank you." Egon joined his colleagues at the car and slipped into the backseat beside Ray.

Peter turned over the key in the ignition and turned on the lights before steering the iconic hearse out of the firehouse and down the street. "Where to first?"

Egon answered from the backseat. "Until we can locate the exact frequency of the deity it'd be most logical to examine the manifestation point of the psyenergy pulse."

"Central Park, then." Peter turned down the block toward the park.

"Wait a minute," Ray realized the magnitude of their endeavor. "Central Park would take forever to examine on foot, even with the four of us. We'll have to split, sweep the area and meet up at a rendezvous point."

"Ray's right." Winston sided with the engineer. "We should take the points, North, South, East and West. Then we'll meet up at the car after a designated amount of time."

"How long would it take to gather an accurate reading?" Ray turned his attention to the physicist as his right.

"Approximately twenty minutes." Egon instructed. "Be sure to keep the radios open at all times."

Peter pulled up along the street just outside the Northern portion of Central Park and put the hearse in park. "Okay, let's get going!"

Janine busied herself with paperwork as she patiently awaited another phone call or for the guys to return to the firehouse with the information they so desperately needed. Flipping through the stacks of paper without a care in the world she almost jumped out of her seat as the phone rang loudly and echoed through the garage.

"Geez, why am I so edgy?" She asked herself before answering the call. "Ghostbusters, how can I help you?"

The voice on the other line spoke frantically but clearly. Another person had fallen ill and the hospital orderly who had been instructed to call was stressed to the point of breaking.

"Okay, do you know where the man was when he got sick?" She pressed as she wrote down the details on a piece of paper as quickly as he spoke. "Right, thank you! I'll let them know what's going on. Goodbye."

Hanging up the phone Janine grabbed the mic for the radio and made contact with Ecto-1.

"Hey guys, we got a lead! Can anyone hear me?"

Winston's voice responded coolly. 'We're all listening Janine, what's up?'

"The latest case admitted to the hospital collapsed outside of the old movie theater just two block from here."

Ray replied over the radio. 'Okay, we'll head back and check it out. Thanks Janine!'

"Anytime..."

Turning off the radio Janine sighed and added the newest call to the towering stack of paper on the corner of her desk.

"What a nightmare..."

"That was a fast twenty minutes." Peter joked as he joined Egon at the parked car. "How far did you get before turning back?"

"Four yards." Egon replied flatly. "My meter was unable to detect anything notable."

"Same." Peter waved his meter in front of Egon before clipping it to his belt. "I got about fifty feet out, nothing unusual aside from some teenagers sneaking cigarettes and dog walker with six poodles."

Winston and Ray jogged over to the car. Peter reclaimed his seat behind the wheel while Egon took shotgun beside the psychologist.

"We didn't find anything." Ray huffed as he and Winston climbed into the backseats. "Hopefully we'll find something outside the theater."

"You know," Winston had an interesting thought. "I've never really paid that much attention to that theater. Why'd it shut down? Looks like it's in a prime location, all kinds of foot traffic passing by and a lot of other popular hangouts are sitting right next to it."

Peter looked at Winston's reflection in the rear view mirror. "There was an accident. A worker fell from a catwalk secured to the top of the theater behind one of the screens. The whole building was under violation and shut down from all of the infractions."

"Let me guess," Winston responded coyly. "it's been haunted ever since, that's why no one wants to buy it."

"No," Peter shook his head as he steered the car back down their neighborhood. "it's because no one wants to put in the money to fix it up."

"The build should be condemned." Egon noted.

"Hey," Ray was a little offended. "you said that same thing about our firehouse!"

"I stand by the observation." Egon defended.

"But you spend a lot of time there." Ray rebutted.

"It's preferable to lose a poorly constructed building in a thinly populated area due to equipment malfunction than harm innocent people in a more densely populated locale."

"Oh..."

Peter parked the car just outside of the theater. "You're just a beam of sunshine." He retorted while giving Egon a sly look. "We're here."

Winston and Ray flashed amused grins before climbing out of the car with their PKE meters at the ready. The meters began responding actively to a strong energy level in the air.

"We'll stay here and check out the theater," Ray decided. "you two should go check in with the latest admission to the hospital and see if you can get a reading from someone recently infected."

Egon agreed with the plan. "We'll contact you if we find anything."

"Same." Winston acknowledged.

Peter pulled away from the theater and made his way to the hospital where all of the infected, possibly dying, patients had been quarantined until the doctors knew what strain of bacteria or ailment they were fighting against.

"There's a strong reading coming from inside the theater." Ray observed. "Maybe the ghost is inside."

"If it is maybe we should wait until we have a full team again."

"You might be right." Ray lowered his meter to check the display. "If we really are dealing with a horseman then we'll need all the help we can get."

"And if it is a horseman what're we going to do with him? We can keep a harbinger of the apocalypse locked up in the containment unit, can we?"

"Uh..." Ray gave Winston an absolutely bewildered look. "I'm not sure..."

* * *

 

Peter and Egon had arrived at the hospital and were eagerly escorted through the quarantined rooms by Dr. Robinson, a physician who had treated the Ghostbusters for injuries and illnesses in the past. The good doctor had learned to admire the Ghostbusters and volunteered to offer his medical expertise whenever requested.

"Our worst patients have been isolated in the critical care unit." Dr. Robinson explained as he handed Egon and Peter surgical masks to protect their otherwise exposed faces. "Two have reached grave status, we're doing everything we can to combat the fever but even our most powerful antibiotics are having little to no effect on whatever infection is rampaging through their bodies."

"How long were the patients infected?" Egon inquired as he continued to sweep the area with his PKE meter.

"Since everything went down. Our grave patients were also the first two admitted."

"Curious." Egon knew enough about medicine after studying extensively before switching his major to physics. "Prolonged exposure should have allowed the body develop some degree of immunity to the infection, yet those who have been infected appear to be faring worse as time goes on rather than improving."

"That is the very reason we're unable to define this infection, Dr. Spengler." Dr. Robinson reaffirmed with a heavy heart. "Despite our best efforts to slow the progress of the infections there has been no change."

Peter had been transfixed on the heartbreaking sight of so many sick, suffering people who had dozens of friends and family members gathered together in hopes that their loved ones would somehow pull through. He finally spoke up as he watched the PKE meter pick up on a signal. "And our latest victim, how long has he been sick?"

"She." Dr. Robinson corrected out of habit. "She's been exhibiting symptoms for the past fifteen minutes." Dr. Robinson explained. "According to her husband she was fine one moment, coughed a little and then collapsed on the sidewalk with a high fever."

"Fifteen minutes?" Peter questioned. "That seems awfully fast. How is that even possible?"

Dr. Robinson sighed and shrugged his shoulders as he led the Ghostbusters to the observation window where their latest patient had been admitted. "I don't know. At the point I feel as helpless and clueless as I did during my first day of medical school."

"We'll figure it out." Peter tried to reassure the kind doctor. "We always do."

Egon waved the PKE meter against the glass and stared intently at the display. "Dr. Robinson permit to enter."

"What?" Both Dr. Robinson and Peter question in chorus.

"Dr. Spengler that seems like a completely unnecessary risk!"

"Yeah Spengz!" Peter was against the idea as much as Dr. Robinson. "You know how quickly that sickness spreads, if you get infected then we're done for!"

"Dr. Robinson I understand your concern-"

"Oh, but not mine!" Peter huffed.

Egon continued despite the interruption. "But if what you say is true and that the young woman was infected only minutes ago then I need to get a more accurate reading before the PKE variances dissipate completely. Also, I'd like to note that her husband was with her when she fell ill, yet he isn't exhibiting the same symptoms or ill at all. I don't believe that this sickness is spread through physical contact."

Dr. Robinson was still against the idea but with their options strictly limited and time of the essence he gave Egon permission. "If you think this is our bet for finding a way to treat the illness then by all means, go inside."

Before Egon had a chance to walk through the door Peter put his hand on Egon's shoulder and held him back. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive." Egon replied confidently. "I know what I'm doing."

Reluctantly Peter let go of Egon's shoulder and watched as his best friend walked quietly into the room and stood beside the young woman's bed. Through the glass Peter watched Egon's every movement as he removed the mask from his face. Peter read his lips as Egon introduced himself to the frightened woman and took a reading of her body before drawing a small vial of blood with her permission before replacing the protective mask.

"I hope this risk pays off..." Peter mumbled.

"As do I." Dr. Robinson replied softly. "I have faith that you can find the answer, I just hope you find it in time."

Egon left the room as quietly as he entered and gave a respectful nod to Dr. Robinson. "These readings will help exponentially, I now have concrete proof that this bacteria is in fact that of a supernatural origin."

"Bacteria?" Dr. Robinson asked lowly. "You can confirm that this a bacteria and not a virus or fungus?"

"Yes." Egon stated firmly. "I believe it's possible to develop an inoculation to said bacteria but it will take some time to synthesize."

"Do what you can," Dr. Robinson pleaded as he opened the door to check in on his patient. "we'll do everything on our part."

Peter took his mask from his face and motioned for Egon to do the same. "So... back to the firehouse?"

Egon nodded in response. "We need to work quickly if we're going to do any good to these people."

* * *

 

Winston and Ray had returned to the firehouse on foot seeing as they were only a few blocks from their headquarters. Retiring to the basement Ray had been work on modifying a trap to encompass such a powerful paranormal deity while Winston began doing research on the legendary, if not mythical, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

"Even if we do manage to trap 'Pestilence' what are we going to do with him afterward?"

"Well, you're right about the containment unit being an improper place to store him," Ray had a welders mask protecting his face from the torch and flares as he worked to reinforce the trap. "but if we can find a way to send him back to the plane from where he came from and seal off the portal that should do the trick."

"I seriously doubt we can seal way a demon of biblical proportions, Ray. I know we've taken down some seriously nasty ghouls in the past, and even a couple of gods in the process, but this is more than a twisted cult or possessed lunatic causing problems downtown."

"I know, I know." Ray never tore his eyes from his work. "But we have to try!"

"You're right." Being a marine Winston never shunned those who needed his help, but the safety of his friends and family was more important to him than anything else in the world. "I just don't want to see any of us get hurt in the process."

Janine called down into the basement from the top of the stairs. "Hey, Egon and Peter are back. They're in the lab and they want to talk to you."

Ray turned off his torch and flipped up his mask. "Maybe they have better news for us than we do for them!"

Working meticulously Egon prepared multiple samples of the provided blood in separate vials. Using the PKE readings gathered from the various victims currently hospitalized Egon began testing the blood for possible immunological properties.

Ray and Winston walked into the lab and spied Egon leaned over a microscope while Peter was leaning casually against the wall.

"'Bout time." Peter teased. "What did you guys find at the theater?"

"A strong reading." Ray answered as he walked over to the desk and stared at the gathered blood sample. "We didn't go inside but it's safe to assume that our ghost is hanging out inside the abandoned theater."

Winston joined in. "Remember how we were talking about the theater being a great location for a lot of people to gather? That place is a plague spreading ghost's dream house."

Peter gave Winston an unsure glance. "So what do we do? Knock on the door and ask him to knock it off?"

"We've been working on that."

Ray looked over his shoulder toward Peter. "I've been modifying a trap, hopefully the increase in power will be enough to hold him while we figure out a way to get him out of our plane of existence and back in his own. What did you guys find out?"

"That a lot of people are very sick and are very close to dying." Peter bowed his head sadly. "But Egon thinks he can help them."

"A cure?" Ray asked optimistically.

"No." Egon sounded indifferent to the situation only because he was concentrating too hard to react properly. "This should be an appropriate enough sample to provide an inoculation to stop the infection from degrading into a life threatening illness to those who have only recently become infected. Otherwise it'll act like an antibiotic for those who already are infected."

"How long?"

"Unknown."

"Can I help?"

"Until I know what I'm working with it'd be more efficient for me to work alone."

"Okay, then I'll resume modifying the trap." Ray dismissed himself and hustled back into the basement to finish his work.

Peter motioned for Winston to follow as he too left the lab. "I've seen the devastation of this illness, if Egon and Ray can't find a way to help them, then-"

"It'll be okay, Peter." Winston instinctively tried to ease his friend's worries, despite being completely justified. "I've seen some pretty brutal stuff back when I was on active duty, and yet the world keeps spinning and life goes on. Even when the odds were against me I pulled through because I had some good people watching my back. You three are good people."

"Well, you're a natural born leader." Peter dismissed harmlessly. "You have the ability to see the strengths in weaknesses in people after a brief introduction. I see only the flaws and damage in people in a single glance."

"There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it takes a special eye to see the negatives of a person and still see the person at all."

The phone on Janine's desk continued to ring as more calls reporting the bizarre illness had been confirmed by the hospital. Hours felt like days for the impatient Ghostbusters as the urge to do something, anything, began to gnaw away at their aching hearts.

"Fellas!" Ray held out the modified trap for his colleagues to see as they stood quietly outside the door to the lab. "This should do the trick. This will catch him and hold him for at least two years before the power gives out. Plenty of time to find a way to send him back to the plane he belongs to."

Peter thought back to all the sick people in the hospital counting on them for help and he couldn't help but internally flinch. "Then we should go get him before he has a chance to infect anyone else."

"Taking the initiative Peter?" Ray asked with a sincere smile. "That's a first!"

"He's right though." Winston sided with Peter. "If the trap's ready then we should get him before he gets us!"

Ray gave his trap a proud pat on the side. "Not going to be a problem!"

"Gentlemen," Egon walked through the opened doorway of his lab with a set of filled vials in his hands. The liquid in the vials was a soft pink color that reminded Ray of a freshly bloomed carnation. "I have synthesized the proper inoculation. However, there is a single flaw in the construction of the medication."

Peter coyly pointed his finger at Ray. "So much for no problems."

"What's the flaw, Egon?" Ray ignored Peter's remark.

"The medication cannot be used as a preventative measure. It can only be administered to those who have been infected, the sooner the victim has been inoculated the more effective the results."

"Doesn't sound so bad." Ray optimistically stated.

"And it takes several hours to synthesize and thus produce enough medication to be of any use."

Peter pointed at Ray with two fingers. "Sounds bad."

"We'll need to deliver the medication to the hospital first," Egon continued his explanation. "those people are our priority over the ghost for the time being."

Winston stepped forward. "Then I'll go. Give me the vials and I get to the hospital."

"No," Egon kept his grip on the vials. "we'll need everyone together in this fight."

Peter smirked proudly. "Then I have the perfect solution. Janine!" He called out dramatically. "Could you come up here, please?"

The fiery receptionist strolled away from her desk and joined the four Ghostbusters outside the lab door. "Yes Dr. V? What can I do for you?"

Egon handed the vials over to Janine who took them in her grip gently at first, then held tightly knowing that whatever was in said vials was of grave importance.

"We need you to take this over to the hospital." Egon instructed calmly. "Ask for Dr. Robinson and give him this." Taking a notepad from his lab coat pocket he placed it on top of the vials in Janine's arms. "These are the required notes for synthesizing additional serum if necessary."

Janine took a step back and looked at the precious items that the team had entrusted to her. "Don't worry, I'll get this to the hospital in no time. You guys go do what you have to."

"Thanks Janine." Ray smiled at her as she carefully walked away from the lab and toward the rear door of the fire station. She'd take her own car as the Ghostbusters still needed to use Ecto-1. "We're counting on you!"

Egon slipped off his lab coat, taking a small syringe from the pocket and tucking it into a side pocket on his jumpsuit. "We must be careful. There is no room for error on our part." He offered thee additional syringes to the other Ghostbusters. "We have to stay prepared."

Peter took the car keys from his pocket and jingled the metallic key ring as he stuffed the syringe into his already overloaded pocket. "Let's go wrangle us a horseman."

With Peter leading the charge Egon, Ray and Winston made their way into the garage piled into the parked car. The iconic hearse was already loaded with their gear: proton packs, traps and PKE meters, which saved the four intrepid Ghostbusters crucial time and energy as they dared to face off with one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The hearse raced from the firehouse and sped around the block, only coming to a stop outside the abandoned theater where the horseman was holed up inside.

"Are we ready for this?" Peter questioned as he looked at the theater through his window. "Four versus one, I like the odds, but we've never faced off again a ghost like this before."

"We don't have a choice." Winston reminded the wary psychologist. "Everyone needs us to stop this guy before he takes out the entire city."

Ray climbed out of the car with his trap slung over his shoulder. Opening the rear compartment Ray pulled out the four proton packs and checked their power levels. "Everything is good to go, none of the packs are at risk of overheating."

"Excellent." Egon joined Ray at the compartment and lifted up a pack. Sliding the pack onto Ray's shoulders he turned so Ray could assist him with a pack of his own. "Equipment failure would be highly detrimental to our already dangerous task."

Peter and Winston slipped on their own packs. After tightening the support straps the two Ghostbusters retrieved their proton thrower and powered up the devices. The packs whirred to life and gave a much needed sense of security.

"Powered up and ready to go." Peter stated boldly.

"I'm with you." Winston confirmed.

Ray and Egon powered up their own packs and nodded at their colleagues. Egon used a PKE meter to scan the air, the meter screeching to life as the extraordinarily high levels of energy seeped through every crack of the abandoned building.

"That's our cue." Peter decided as he lead the way to the entrance of the theater. "On three..."

"One." Winston started the countdown as he stood at Peter's right side.

"Two." Ray joined Winston.

"Three." Egon finished the countdown as he stood to Peter's left.

Peter kicked down the door and aimed his thrower at an unseen form hiding in the darkness within. The interior of the theater was icy cold, the four escaping breath clouds of the Ghostbusters wisped like a fog into nothingness.

"Keep your eyes open." Winston urged as he took the lead. "No surprises."

Peter followed right behind Winston while Ray and Egon walked shoulder to shoulder after their colleagues.

The doors of the theater suddenly slammed shut by an unseen force, leaving the four men draped in absolute darkness.

"Crap." Was all Peter could say as he pulled a lighter from his pocket and used it to illuminate the darkness with a faint orange glow. "Good thing I never clean out my pockets."

"Shh!" Ray shushed sharply. "I heard something... There!" He pointed to the far back wall. "It's at the back of the theater!"

Peter turned his lighter until the glow reached the rear of the building. It was then the unseen figure began to take shape.

"Uh-oh..." Peter grimaced, the lighter drooping down as intimidation set in.

Pestilence, the horseman himself, stood idle upon the the riser in the back of the theater. Rising atop of an ivory white horse he watched ominously as the four mortal men dared to challenge him and end his plague over the city. The rider's face was skeletal with only glowing amber lights for eyes. His body was covered in dark leathery armor that shielded his entire body. A black leather pouch hung from the side of his saddle, the contents within unknown.

"What do we do?" Peter asked quietly. "Do we just open fire or do we actually think about it first?"

Winston cleared his throat. "We make the first move, let's make sure it's a good one!"

"Right." Ray aimed his thrower as he kneeled down on the ground. Keeping his trap at his side, one hand on the device and the other hand tightly gripped on the thrower he gave Winston a confident nod. "Now!"

Winston opened fire and watched as the proton stream snaked around the horseman, the stream wrapping itself around the massive horse and its rider in a wave of orange tinted energy.

"Got him!"

Peter followed suit and opened fire as well, his beam strengthening the first.

"Egon, you're up!"

As he Egon made a move to unsheathe his thrower the horseman turned his attention to the unarmed Ghostbuster. Dropping his hand into the pouch he waved his hand swiftly and sent the contents of the pouch in Egon's direction. A cloud of dust flew from the palm of the ghostly hand and struck Egon in the face.

Falling to his knees Egon coughed violently as he fumbled to pull the syringe from his jumpsuit pocket.

"Egon!" Ray called out as he scrambled over to his downed colleague. "Egon's been hit!"

Stabbing the needle into his thigh Egon injected himself with the very inoculation he had synthesized to combat the horseman's illness. Too weak to stand up, let alone defend himself, he stayed put while Ray raced over to check on him.

"Egon? Egon, are you alright?" Ray put his hands on the sides of Egon's face to try and make his friend look at him. Ray could feel Egon's body suddenly spike in temperature as the illness quickly raced through his veins.

"...fever." Was all Egon could mutter as he began crumpling forward, only to have Ray catch him in his strong arms before he fell.

"The horseman got Egon!" Ray pressed his hand against Egon's forehead and felt his own heart begin racing as the intense fever was unmistakable. Taking the PKE meter from Egon's belt he waved it over his friend and studied the biorhythms displayed on the small screen. "He's already at one hundred and three!" Unzipping the top of Egon's jumpsuit to try to ease the overheating Ray looked to his colleagues for help. "We do we do?"

Peter's voice called out firmly. "Take him back to the firehouse! We got this!"

"But-"

"Just go!" Peter demanded. "We can handle this!"

"Okay..." Ray knew that Peter wasn't going to budge once his mind was made up. Winston and Peter would have to contain the horseman by themselves until Egon was taken to safety. "Come on Egon." Ray wrapped one of Egon's limp arms around his shoulders and helped the ailing man to stand up. "We need to get you out of here!"

The doors of the theater were pushed open forcefully with a swift kick as Ray escorted Egon out of the building. The quick flash of natural sunlight cascaded over the haunting face of the horseman just long enough to send a shiver down Peter's spine before the doors shut behind the two fleeing Ghostbusters.

Working in tandem Winston and Peter steadily increased the power levels on their proton packs to compensate for the lack of man power. The horseman didn't put up much of a struggle, it was as if he had been testing the men and their resolve. The white horse snorted angrily and stomped its hooves, but it showed no fright as a normal horse would; it didn't rear or try to flee, it obeyed its rider's every command.

"Move in!" Winston instructed as he took a step forward, the stream on the proton pack glowing brighter with the increasing power levels. Pushing the trap along the floor with his foot Winston carefully positioned himself to avoid any potential further attacks from the horseman. "Don't let your guard down!"

Peter synchronized his steps with Winston, keeping his eyes focused on every subtle movement the horseman made as he watched the two mortal men risk their lives to stop him.

"Opening the trap!" Winston shouted as he punted the trap up onto the riser and stomped down on the activation switch.

The already intense beam of white ionized light was all the brighter thanks to the meticulous modifications at the hands of Ray. The light enveloped the horseman who seemed pained by the purity of the light. Cover his skeletal face with his armored sleeve he groaned in pain as the horse reared up in frustration.

"We almost got him!" Winston squinted against the almost blinding light. "Full stream!"

"Thought you'd never ask!" Peter happily maxed out the power on the thrower. "Time to end this!"

Standing on opposite sides of the horseman both Peter and Winston held the horseman firm as the powerful ionized light from the trap sitting beneath the white horse pulled both ride and and beast down into the trap, sealing him and his plague within.

Stomping down on the trap release for the second time the doors of the trap snapped shut and locked with a loud metallic 'thunk'. The horseman was sealed inside, the theater was freed from its terrible plague.

"Did we get it?" Peter questioned hesitantly.

"Yeah, we got it!" Winston nudged the smoldering trap with the side of his boot. "He's down."

"Speaking of down..." Peter looked back at the doors of the theater. "we better go check on Egon!"

* * *

 

Ray stood over Egon's bed as he watched the physicist sleeping through the fever that had suddenly overwhelmed him. Keeping a cold washcloth pressed over Egon's forehead Ray had also unzipped the jumpsuit down to the waist, exposing Egon's black t-shirt and freeing his arms from the otherwise warming fabric. Laying on top of the covers Egon seemed to be resting peacefully despite the dangerous illness.

"How's Egon?" Peter asked as he and Winston made their way up to the bunk room of the firehouse.

"He seems to be stable." Ray smiled at the sight of his friends returning safe and sound as he waved the PKE meter over Egon again, noting the change in his biorhythms. "His fever is already down to one hundred even, and he isn't in any pain."

"Guess that serum worked." Winston sat down on Peter's bed which was beside Egon's. Pressing his fingers against Egon's wrist he measured his pulse. "Any word from Janine?"

"Yeah, I think so. There was a message on the machine but I didn't check it."

"On it." Peter volunteered as he slid down the fire pole out of the bunk room and into the garage.

"So you guys caught the horseman?"

"Yeah, the trap is in the back of the car. Figured we'd take out to Central Park tonight and bury it at the epicenter of the psyenergy pulse."

"That would be for the best." Ray acknowledged. "The more I think about the more I suspect that the pulse emanated from the Gozerian Mausoleum that had been buried beneath the park all those years ago."

"I thought that place crumbled after we took out the spirit of Ivo Shandor with the 'Rookie'."

"Nah, it just sank back into the Earth." Ray sounded surprisingly relaxed about the situation. "We can throw one of Spengler's ion grenades down in the pit after we toss in the trap, that should seal off the portal connecting our plane of existence to the horseman's."

Peter jogged back up the stairs and took a seat on the bed beside Winston. "You were right Ray, the message was from Janine."

"And? What's going on at the hospital?"

"It worked. Everyone who was infected is showing signs of recovery, just like Egon."

"Did anyone... you know? Expire?"

"No, but it was close for a few patients. Dr. Robinson is confident that everyone will make a full recovery."

Ray sank to the floor with relief. "Oh man, that was TOO CLOSE."

"I think Spengz was a little closer than us." Peter joked. "When do you think he'll wake up?"

"Can't say for sure." Winston commented. "Could be a few minutes, could be a few hours. Fortunately he inoculated himself as soon as he was infected."

Peter took the serum loaded syringe from his own pocket. "Glad we all didn't need to use this."

"Here." Winston took the syringe from Peter's hand. "Let's keep these locked up somewhere safe. Never know when we'll need them for a rainy day."

"And then let's take care of the horseman." Ray suggested wisely as he pulled himself up from the floor and onto the edge of Egon's bed. "I'll stay here with Egon. You two already know what you're doing!"

The drive out to Central Park was quiet yet unnerving. The park had been a hot spot for paranormal activity for centuries, long before the creation of the Ghostbusters. Seeing a wayward spirit or friendly ghost was almost as common as the trees that bloomed throughout the famous park itself.

"Think we'll run into anymore horsemen?" Peter asked as he and Winston used flashlights and the PKE meter to locate the buried mausoleum.

"I hope not. I don't have the skill required to upgrade these traps." Winston motioned to the trap slung over his shoulder by the cable.

"And I don't have the knowledge to create any magic medicine."

"Maybe not," Winston agreed as he honed in on the mausoleum. "but you do make a pretty good leader."

"Me?" Peter almost scoffed at the idea. "A leader? Dream on!"

"No way, I'm serious! Back at the theater you were the one who took charge as soon as Egon went down. You told Ray what to do while staying back to protect everyone else. THAT is the mark of a good leader!"

"Yeah?" Peter never thought of himself as a leader, let alone a good one. "I always thought it was just me indulging my self destructive tendencies. Turns out I'm a leader."

"I'd follow you in battle." Winston complimented. "In fact, I already have. I had only been with you guys for a few weeks when we had that showdown with Gozer, remember?"

"Seems so long ago." Peter admitted as he and Winston found the loose soil that covered the sunken mausoleum. "For as long as I remain a Ghostbuster I hope I never see that god of destruction ever again!"

Winston kneeled down and scooped aside the loose dirt with his bare hand and uncovered the stone top of the mausoleum. Lifting the stone up from the roof of the structure he created an opening to the interior of the mausoleum.

"Ready?" Winston asked as he held the trap over the hole.

"Go for it." Peter instructed as he held out the ion grenade in his own hand.

Winston let go of the cable. The two Ghostbusters watched as the trap disappeared into the darkness and never tore their eyes away until they heard the distinct sound of metal colliding with stone.

"Long drop." Peter commented as he removed the pin from the grenade and tossed it down into the hole after the trap. "Fire in the hole!"

Peter and Winston stepped back from the hole and watched as the beam of white ionized light shone through the hole as the grenade exploded.

Sliding the stone back into place, sealing the top of the mausoleum, Winston replaced the soil and pulled a massive rock from the nearby bushes over the soil to hide it from any passersby.

"Two years, right?" Peter dared to ask.

"On the trap?" Winston confirmed. "Yeah. Why?"

"I just figured if the trap wasn't fully sealed by the grenade, we should mark the calendar and prepare for Judgement Day." He shrugged his shoulders casually. "You know, just in case!"

"Don't even think about it." Winston dusted off his hands proudly. "Come on, we should get back. I want to check in on Egon."

"I hate it when Egon gets sick..." Peter grimaced.

The trap containing the horseman had fallen into the ancient mausoleum and away from the public. The bridge that connected the parallel planes had been burned after the Ghostbusters took down the spirit of Ivo Shandor, but bridges can be rebuilt. For now Pestilence was sealed away, trapped on a parallel plane of existence, but time would soon corrode the seal and the horseman would return.

When that times come Pestilence will not be riding alone...

**-The End**


End file.
